


A double edged blade

by barbsj48



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: F/F, Hannigram - Freeform, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:53:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbsj48/pseuds/barbsj48
Summary: This is a hannibal (TV series) Alternate Universe story where hannibal is the CEO of a large firm and Will is the only son of the company chairman.**there’s a major character death tag as a death does occur but it’s major character from the show. They are not that important in the fic and only appear in 1 chapter.**Will's sudden involvement in Hannibal's life irks Hannibal to no end but even though he has disdain for the privileged young man, he can't help but be drawn to him. Hannibal's piercing eyes make Will uncomfortable so he continually challenges Hannibal every chance he gets and pushes the closed off man to gauge his breaking point. Little do they know, something is about to change their game of tug of war forever.
Relationships: Beverly Katz/Margot Verger, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

IN the midway of this our mortal life,  
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray  
Gone from the path direct: and e'en to tell  
It were no easy task, how savage wild  
That forest, how robust and rough its growth,  
Which to remember only, my dismay  
Renews, in bitterness not far from death.  
Yet to discourse of what there good befell,  
All else will I relate discover'd there.  
How first I enter'd it I scarce can say,  
Such sleepy dullness in that instant weigh'd  
My senses down, when the true path I left,  
But when a mountain's foot I reach'd, where clos'd  
The valley, that had pierc'd my heart with dread,  
I look'd aloft, and saw his shoulders broad  
Already vested with that planet's beam,  
Who leads all wanderers safe through every way.

\- Canto I, Inferno, The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri 

Chapter 1

Hannibal looked up from his computer as he heard a knock on his door.  
“Come in,” he said, and his petite PA popped her head in through the door  
“The chairman’s here to see you…” she paused “with his son.” She raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow at him.  
“Let them in,” he said, dismissing her doubts.  
She pulled the door to his office wide open and let the chairman and his son in. Hannibal watched as his friend strolled in with a big smile on his face.  
“Hannibal!” He exclaimed arms raised, “its been too long my friend.”  
“It really has,” Hannibal laughed and went over to hug his friend. “So tell me,” he said, peering into his friends eyes, “What brings you here?”  
“My Son!” He said, pointing at the young man who had seated himself on the couch in Hannibal’s office. Hannibal looked at him and then at his father “What about your son, James.” He said slowly.  
“Well, as you know, I’m not getting any younger and my son’s not getting any older so I thought it’s time he learnt the ropes ya know?”  
“Oh? So you finally decided to let your son get involved in the family business,” Hannibal smiled.  
“More or less. Anyways, this is where you come in.” He said, turning to his son “Will, this is my friend and the CEO of this company Hannibal Lector, and Hannibal, this is my son Will. I’m sure the two of you have met before.”  
“We have,” Will said from behind his father. He was lounging on the couch now, Hannibal noticed. “A couple times, at his dinner parties actually.”  
“Ah yes! He does throw excellent dinner parties.” He said turning to Hannibal “Someday you must teach me how to cook like that, but today, I need you to help Will out a little ya know? Let him shadow you a little so he knows how things work around here.”  
“I would love to James but I do have other things I need to take care of right now”  
“I’m not asking you to drop everything and show him around but just let him watch you work for a while and maybe you can have another employee show him the specifics ya know? Start from the bottom? I really want him to experience first hand how we do things over here.”  
“Sure, I’ll show him the ropes James,” he sighed. Hannibal already had plenty of things to worry about without having to worry about his friend’s son but what was he going to do? Refuse?  
“Don’t worry, my son’s a genius, he’ll learn everything in no time. Did you know he went to Yale?”  
“No, I had no idea.” Hannibal feigned surprise but in reality he figured as much. An only child of the owner of a multi million dollar corporation? He was surprised they didn’t aim for Harvard. Only question is, how much did it cost him, Hannibal wondered.  
“All right then, my work here is done. I will be leaving him in your care now Hannibal”  
“Of course James, take care.”  
“You too, and Will, I will see you on Friday for dinner.” Will gave his father a nod and James turned around and left Hannibal’s office.

Will turned around to fully look at the man who was standing before him and stared at him with piqued interest.  
“He didn’t pay,” Will said  
“Pardon?”  
“He didn’t pay for me to go to Yale. If he would have, I would’ve gone to Harvard”  
“Was that your first choice? Harvard?”  
“No, my first choice was Yale but Harvard does carry more prestige”  
“Indeed it does.” Hannibal smirked, now intrigued in the young man sitting in front of him. “So then why is it, that a fine young Yale graduate like yourself has not had a single job in the last 12 years?”  
“Getting personal are we now Mr. C.E.O.” Will commented, raising an eyebrow.  
“Please, call me Hannibal.”  
“Very well, Hannibal, I was travelling.”  
“Ah,” Hannibal paused, “splendid! Shall we get started then?” He said with a tight smile. 

******************************************************************************************************************

Bedelia Du Maurier had been patiently waiting for about forty minutes now for Will Graham to come out of Hannibal’s office. His father left a while ago, she wondered, so what could he possibly want with Hannibal? Don’t tell me he’s actually interested in his father’s business all of a sudden she smirked. I should probably go check up on them. She got up and headed straight for the door. 

“Hannibal,” she said, carefully eyeing both the men in front of her. Smiling at the charming young man before her she said, “Will! It has been far too long since you came to visit us!”  
“Bedelia!” Will flashed a striking smile “It has. I almost forgot just how breathtakingly beautiful you are”  
“Charming as ever I see,” Bedelia laughed. And he was - charming that is - with his dark brown curls that effortlessly framed his beautiful face, his perfectly groomed scruff that lightly covered his square jaw and his doe like brown eyes that twinkled with curiosity. Add to that his flirtatious, easygoing personality and daddy’s money? He really was the perfect package for the world to unravel. Lounging on the couch, he almost seemed like the complete opposite of the man before him, like a dog next to a snake, Bedelia noted. 

“Do the two of you know each other?” Hannibal asked, surprised.  
“Yes, I see Will quite often when James invites me for dinner. You would have met him too if you actually accepted the invitations.”  
“I suppose so.”  
“That’s not a very nice thing to do Hannibal.” Will retorted, his voice full of amusement. “Especially since I’m sure you know how much effort goes into planning one of those things.”  
Hannibal gave Will a thin smile “I suppose you are right. I have been a little absent from social gatherings as of yet. How about you and Bedelia come to my house for dinner on Saturday and we can all get to know each other better.”  
“Sure why not. It would be fun getting to know the capable man my father has trusted to babysit me.” Will smirked.  
Bedelia could feel the tension in the air and decided it was best to stay out of whatever was going on between them “Unfortunately, I am not free on Saturday, but please, go ahead and have dinner without me. I can join you another time.”  
“Of course, that’s understandable. Your presence will be missed” Hannibal smiled but Bedelia could see that he had clenched his jaw shut.  
This is interesting, she thought. To think that it’s James’ son that’s making Hannibal show cracks through his perfect person demeanour. If this is the result of them spending a few hours together, I wonder what will happen if they start spending more time with each other? 

*******************************************************END*****************************************************


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal unwrapped the fresh lamb leg and began to slowly tenderise the meat as the soft sounds of the piano from Erik Satie’s Gnossienne No. 1 filled the room. As he began preparing the meat, his mind couldn’t help but wonder about Will Graham - his guest to be. Hannibal had been working with Will for a week now but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t read him. Will Graham gave nothing away - why he suddenly wanted to work for the firm, what he aimed to gain from working there, not even what he thought of Hannibal. Apart from an occasional snide comment or a sarcastic joke he made no effort to talk about himself. Any effort that Hannibal made was met with a sarcastic response as if he was almost afraid to let Hannibal know him. His father had not been lying, Will was a quick learner and had an excellent grasp of the company’s underlying structure. To Hannibal’s surprise, Will had familiarised himself with all the financial up keeping of the business. 

Will Graham’s demeanour intrigued Hannibal. He couldn’t help but be fascinated by how the normally confident and sometimes condescending man could turn so serious and unsure of himself when it came to his work. Hannibal often found himself unconsciously staring at young man sitting across him. He would quietly stare as Will would furrow his eyebrows at the laptop screen in front of him and tense up his shoulders as he tried to solve whatever problem he was facing. Looking at Will’s form crouched towards his desk made Hannibal want to walk up to him and ease out the tension from his shoulders, but Hannibal knew better. 

Hannibal didn’t like his judgement challenged, and that is exactly what Will did. He would question every decision Hannibal made even when he had no basis to. At first Hannibal thought he was doing so out of sheer curiosity but he soon began to see a curious twinkle in Will’s eyes every time he questioned him - as if he was trying to get a rise out of him. So seeing his overconfident, condescending self crumble in self doubt satisfied Hannibal to no end. It woke something in him - he felt a strong urge to overpower him. Hannibal paused. He was surprised by his own thoughts. He shook his head and just as quickly as he had thought them, he dispelled those thoughts from his mind.  
As Hannibal continued to prepare the lamb leg, he began to slowly rub a mix of dried spices onto the now tender meat - back and forth, back and forth. Running his hands along the length of the meat making sure to reach every nook and cranny. As he continued marinating the meat, he once again thought about Will Graham and thought about what it would be like to watch him succumb under... What expression would he make? Would he still maintain that condescending smile? Or would he show Hannibal an entirely different side of him as he writhed in pleasure under him.

******************************************************************************************************************

Abigail gave her hair a final brush through and took a step back to observe her reflection in the mirror. Her brown hair was slick behind her back and her black dress brought out the blue in her eyes. Satisfied with herself, she left her room and skipped downstairs to meet Hannibal in the kitchen. “Ah, Abigail! You look lovely,” he smiled.  
“Thanks Hannibal.” Abigail smiled back. She took in a deep breath and indulged in the delicious aroma that filled the room. “What are you making today?” She asked, pointing to the oven where the smell was coming from.   
“Lamb.” Hannibal said slowly, as he continued to prepare the salad in front of him “we have special guests joining us today, so I decided to make something special for them.” Hannibal paused to smile up at Abigail, “trust me, you’ll love it.”  
“Can’t wait. It smells delicious.” Abigail looked around and saw the empty dining table, “Do you need help setting up the table?”  
“Ah, yes. If you could help me set up the dishes that would be very helpful.” Abigail nodded and began setting up the plates and glasses on the table. “By the way, how many people are coming over?” She asked.   
“Hmm,” Hannibal mulled, “Well I asked Bedelia and Will to come over but Bedelia is busy today so just one extra set is fine.”   
Abigail nodded and began setting up an extra set of dishes on the table.   
“Actually,” Hannibal said suddenly, “If I remember correctly, Will did ask if he could bring another person with him.”  
“Who?” Abigail asked.  
Hannibal shrugged his shoulders “I’m not sure, but just add another set of plates in case he does have a guest with him.”  
Abigail nodded and continued setting the table. 

Just as she was finished setting the table, she heard the front door bell ring. She looked up at Hannibal, who was just in the middle of taking the lamb out of the oven, and decided to go answer it. As she opened the door, she was greeted with a pair of brilliant blue eyes that were accompanied by long red curls that framed her beautifully angular face. The woman in front of her smiled and spoke out in a smooth raspy voice, “Hello! Is this Hannibal Lector’s house?”  
Abigail, taken aback by the woman’s beauty, could only give a slight nod. The woman then smiled and turned towards a man walking up to the house. The man gave Abigail a curious look and then smiled “You must be Abigail!”   
“Yes.” Abigail said, as she looked to the two people in front of her “and you must be Hannibal’s guests.” She smiled and opened the door wide. “Please, come in.” 

Abigail led them through her house to the dining room where Hannibal was standing waiting for them. “Ah, Will! You’re just on time.” Hannibal said. He then darted his eyes towards Will’s companion and smiled, “and who might this be?” He asked.  
“Hannibal, this is Freddie Lounds, my girlfriend.” Will gestured to the woman beside him.  
“Ah, I see,” Hannibal smiled but Abigail caught a flash of disappointment momentarily pass by Hannibal’s face. “Nice to meet you miss Lounds.” Hannibal reached out to shake Freddie’s hand.  
“Nice, to meet you too Mr. Lector,” she smiled. “You have a beautiful home.”  
“Please, call me Hannibal.” He then gestured to Abigail, who was quietly standing on the sidelines, “You must have already met my daughter Abigail.”  
Freddie and Will both turned to Abigail and smiled, uncomfortable with all the attention on her, Abigail could only manage an awkward wave and smile. “Ah… yeah. We met at the door.” She said to Hannibal.   
“Great!” Hannibal announced, “Should we all go to the table then? I can start bringing out the food and we can get to know each other better over some salad.”

“Hannibal,” Freddie said, picking up her last bits of salad, “I must say, this salad is delicious!”  
“Thank you Freddie. I’m glad you like it. Wait till you try the lamb, I assure you, you will love the taste.” Hannibal smiled.  
“Oh, I’m surprised Will didn’t tell you. I’m actually vegetarian, so unfortunately, I won’t be able to try your lamb Hannibal. I’m so sorry.”  
“That’s perfectly fine. I’m just sad that I didn’t know you were vegetarian beforehand. If I did, I would have made you an entree as well.”  
“Oh, that’s totally fine. This salad is very delicious as is. If you don’t mind, I would love to have a second serving later.”  
“Of course. It’s the least I can do.” Hannibal studied Freddie’s face for a few moments before speaking up again, “so tell me Freddie, what is it that you do?”  
“I work as an investigative journalist at the New York Times.”   
“That’s very impressive. The New York Times is a very highly regarded paper. Abigail hopes to be able to work there herself someday.”   
“Do you now?” Freddie asked, turning to the young girl.  
Abigail felt her cheeks flush as she stumbled through her words “Y-yes. But I’m only in high school right now so…” she mumbled looking down at her half eaten plate.   
Freddie smiled warmly, “What grade?” She asked.  
“I just started my senior year this August.”  
“That’s really great. We are currently looking for some unpaid interns. Normally we only take college students but since I know you, I can put in a good word for you with the recruiter if you’re interested.”   
Abigail looked up baffled, “Yes! That would be amazing!” She exclaimed. She immediately blushed after realising just how loud she had been, “I mean, if that is ok with you.” She said quietly.  
“Of course. Send me your resume and I’ll forward it to my colleague. In fact, how about we take a picture together? I’ll post it to my socials so that I can start getting you connected with my contacts?”   
“That is very kind of you Freddie.” Hannibal said from across the table. “Tell me, how did such a lovely young woman such as yourself meet Will?”  
“Hannibal!” Will asked bemused, “Are you insinuating that such a lovely woman wouldn’t necessarily want to be with me?”   
“Of course not. I was just curious about how the two of you might have crossed paths with each other given the vast differences in your professional interests.”  
Will’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he saw Hannibal regret his words, “And tell me, Hannibal, what exactly would that be?”   
Freddie looked from Will to Hannibal and could feel the tension between the two men. The heavy atmosphere in the room was so dense that she could feel it physically weighing her down. Before Hannibal could respond, she quickly interjected, “We actually met at a fundraiser gala. I was immediately taken in by his charming personality.” She placed a hand on Will’s arm hoping to sooth the tension a little.   
Hannibal gave the pair a quick smile “Charming he is” he said as he raised his wine glass to Will.   
“Too bad my charms have yet to work on you Hannibal.” Will smirked, raising an eyebrow.   
“Haha, you will need to try a little harder if you want to work your charms on me Will.” Hannibal said as he stared deep into Will’s brown eyes.

*****************************************************END******************************************************* 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to A_bello ( for helping me edit the first half of this chapter. He writes great hannigram fics as well ^^  
> Also, you guys can follow me on twitter @zutaraShipper48 for updates on when I post new chapters XD

He thus to me: "This miserable fate  
Suffer the wretched souls of those, who liv'd  
Without or praise or blame, with that ill band  
Of angels mix'd, who nor rebellious prov'd  
Nor yet were true to God, but for themselves  
Were only. From his bounds Heaven drove them forth,  
Not to impair his lustre, nor the depth  
Of Hell receives them, lest th' accursed tribe  
Should glory thence with exultation vain."

\- Canto III, Inferno, The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri

Will stared at his computer, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, trying to make sense of the balance sheet in front of him. He frowned as he looked at the 10-K report and, again, tried to compare it with the invoices before him.  
“Hannibal” he called out, eyes never leaving the screen.  
“What is it Will?” Hannibal asked from across his desk,  
“I’m not entirely sure but…” Will paused, “it seems our internal balance sheets don’t seem to match the final accounts that we provided to the government last quarter.”  
Hannibal looked at Will, a scowl growing on his face, “Are you sure? Maybe you should check them again?”  
He rose from behind his desk and walked over to where Will was sitting “If what you are saying is true, then we could be fined for money laundering and embezzlement.” He responded, drawing closer to him, “You have to be absolutely sure Will.”  
“I know,” Will sighed, rubbing his temples. “I’ve checked the reports multiple times. The expenses do not match. Here, take a look.” he began to push his laptop to the side but Hannibal's hand, which came to rest on one side of the laptop over his shoulder, stopped him. His left hand was resting on the back of Will's chair, fingers brushing his shoulder blade. Will fidgeted nervously as Hannibal leaned forward to peer into the computer screen.  
“Tell me Will, what do you see?” Hannibal spoke softly against Will’s ear. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand as Hannibal’s warm breath brushed past his cool skin. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the other man’s profile - inches from his own.  
“Um…” Will hesitated, “Some of the costs that are shown in the report don’t match what the invoices say.” He pointed to the sheet of papers on his desk, “See here? There’s a large deficit in the actual amount written in the invoices and the money that went out of our funds to pay them.”  
“Is it just for this quarter?”  
Will turned slightly to look at Hannibal and was met with a pair of striking hazel eyes. He froze as he stared into those curious eyes - reading him, testing him. 

His face was mere inches away from Hannibal’s, he could feel Hannibal’s warm breath dance on his lips. He jerked his head and turned to look back at his laptop. Seeing Hannibal’s face in such close proximity did things to Will. Things he was not willing to explore.  
He nervously cleared his throat, “N-no, umm…” he said, flustered, “So far only I’ve seen deficits for the past three quarters, but I’m not sure if it ends there.” He quickly darted his gaze from his computer to the man beside him hoping to see that enthralling profile, only to be met with those striking eyes again. Hannibal’s hand brushed past Will’s as he moved to scroll through the report. As he came to rest his hand on the computer to study the screen, Will could feel the heat rushing into his hand from where Hannibal’s hand lightly touched his own. Could feel Hannibal’s calloused fingers slowly trace the back of his hand for a few moments before pulling away. _Is he doing this on purpose?_ Will thought, leaning back on his chair. 

Hannibal shifted slightly to look directly at the seated man, eyes searching his face.  
“How do you think this happened?”  
“I’m not entirely sure,” Will said, averting his gaze. He didn’t like looking into those piercing eyes that seemed to know things about him - things he didn’t want to surface. He found them… distracting.  
“Whoever did this was pretty smart about it,” he said, running his hands through his dark curls that refused to stay out of his face. “They only added a small amount of money to each cost and charge. The increase is so small that you wouldn’t even notice it.” He laughed, “When I first looked at the invoice, I thought it was a mistake, but I eventually realised that the numbers didn’t match on EVERY invoice.” Will let out a sigh. He could feel the other man’s eyes still on him - searching. Hannibal reached across his lap, turning the chair so that they were facing one another. 

Grabbing the armrests, he said, “I will have Bedelia look into this.”  
He paused for a moment, holding Will’s attention, “If this is true, then it could turn out to be very troublesome, so I’ll have to ask you to please refrain from mentioning it to anyone.” Will felt trapped in his gaze, so scrutinising and attentive, that he couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.  
“Y-yeah, of course.” Will shifted as he felt a bead of sweat run down his spine.  
“Thank you Will,” Hannibal said softly, his voice barely a whisper. Will could only manage a slight nod as he felt his mouth go dry. 

They stayed there frozen for a few moments. Silently, breathing each other in, not a single one of them moving an inch. Will’s mind started to wander as the fresh citrusy notes of Hannibal’s cologne washed over him.  
_He’s close,_ he thought, his eyes fixating on those inviting lips - a darker shade of terracotta.

 _A smoker’s lips,_ Will thought. A sudden urge to see if those lips tasted of smoke seized him and he gulped loudly hoping to suppress it. Their close proximity reminded him of a time long gone when he’d first laid eyes on those intoxicating lips. When he’d been a mere 19 and could only gaze longingly from a distance. How enamoured he’d been at first sight. How jealous he’d felt of his father then. The man who could stand beside this beautiful person and support him in ways Will was incapable of. He locked his eyes with Hannibal’s - his urges brewing. The other man didn’t look way and instead, inched closer. Will could smell the scent of smoke mixed with mint from his slightly parted lips. 

“Hannibal-” Bedelia suddenly called from the doorway making both men jerk away from one another. She studied the two men with quiet curiosity as one nervously combed his fingers through his hair and the other cleared his throat. She paused in her steps, unable to comprehend the situation in front of her. Feeling like she’d interrupted something, Bedelia turned around and left the two men to their own devices.

******************************************************************************************************************

Hannibal quietly stared out the car window, his thoughts absent-mindedly tracing back to Will Graham just a few days ago. His dark curls messily falling on his forehead as he nervously pushed them back. His familiar scent of pine and bergamot. His lips an enticing rose. His eyes, warm, burning with a deep desire. A desire that matched Hannibal’s own. A desire that compelled Hannibal to want to feel those soft lips against his.

A ringing in his pocket brought Hannibal back to reality. He got out his phone and, to his surprise, saw Will Graham’s name on the caller id.  
“Will?” He questioned  
“Hannibal? Hannibal are you there?” Will’s voice was rushed - anxious.  
“I’m here Will. Are you alright? Why do you sound distressed?”  
“Hannibal I- I-” Will took in a shaky breath “I need your help.”“What happened?” Hannibal asked concerned, a frown growing on his face  
“I- I don’t know. I don’t know!” Will cried out.  
“Will. Calm down.” Hannibal spoke in a low, calming voice, “Tell me what happened, slowly.”  
“I can’t. Not over the phone.” Hannibal could hear Will draw in a sharp breath on the other side of the line, “Please, just- just come here.”  
“Alright Will,” he paused, contemplating what to say next. “I’ll come to you. Where are you right now?”  
Hannibal asked Clark - his chauffeur - to take the car to the destination Will had given him. He worried about Will’s shaky voice and wondered what could have made him call so suddenly. 

The car pulled up into the driveway of a house that Hannibal didn’t recognise.  
“You can pick up Abigail from her classes.” He said to Clark before leaving the car, “Tell her I won’t be able to make it for lunch today.” He waited for the car to leave the driveway before going up to the house and knocking on the door. The house looked ominous, he noticed, with its windows barred and its curtain shut. Hannibal waited a few moments for the door to open before knocking again - this time, a little louder. Soon enough, he heard a shuffling along with a click as the door slowly opened. 

Will Graham stood there in front of him - hair a tangled mess, eyes wide, beads of sweat running down his forehead. Instinctively, Hannibal reached out a hand and brushed his curls from his face. His eyes growing with concern as he took in the sight of the man before him - distraught and shaken. Hannibal couldn’t help but find beauty in the raw fear that befell Will’s face.  
“Are you all right Will?” He asked, now cupping the man’s face.  
“Hannibal…” Will whispered, exhausted, his eyes brimmed with tears, “Freddie she-“ he fell silent hearing something he didn’t say out loud. His eyes grew wide as he desperately clenched his hair. Seeing the fear and desperation in his expression, Hannibal grabbed Will’s face in both his hands and stared directly into his eyes,  
“Will!” He spoke sternly, drawing the other man back to reality. “What happened to Freddie? Show me” he demanded.  
Will grabbed Hannibal’s arm as if to steady himself, and led him inside the house. As soon as he stepped inside, Hannibal was hit with the scent of iron and rust.  
_Why does it smell like-_ he stopped, hoping to be wrong. As Will led him through the house, the smell grew stronger, suffocating him. Finally, Will stopped in front of a large room its door half open. Hannibal could see a white bed inside, its sheets messily thrown on the floor.

Will hesitated before letting go of his arm and opening the door wide. Hannibal froze, his breath caught in his chest. He stood in the doorway, feet planted as he tried to comprehend the scene laid out in front of him. Freddie Lounds lying on the bed, her arms and legs splayed out, hanging from the edge. Her skin a pale blue, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her mouth a contorted mess. She lay there, bathing in a sea of red.

*****************************************************END*******************************************************


End file.
